Articles by Jim Sams

Sams is editor of ClaimsJournal.com, the online resource and daily newsletter for property/casualty insurance claims professionals. ClaimsJournal is a member of the Wells Media Group. Sams can be reached at jsams@wellsmedia.com

What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI

If only 10% of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an analysis by the National Council …

Business Interruption Claimants Like How Some Localities Worded Emergency Orders

Cities and counties across the country may have handed plaintiff’s attorneys an argument to use in lawsuits against insurers that seek business-interruption coverage for losses caused by coronavirus closure orders. Jurisdictions as far asunder as Los Angeles, Calif. and Key …

Workers’ Comp May Need Backstop as Presumptions Push Claim Costs into Billions

An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers’ compensation insurers to pay at least some COVID-19 claims. Pressure is growing on workers’ compensation …

Split Okla. Supreme Court Sides with Plaintiffs in Attorney Fee Dispute

An insurer that failed to pay a claim within 60 days cannot be considered the prevailing party even if a claimant is eventually awarded less than the carrier’s settlement offer, a divided Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled. The 6-3 opinion marks …

Willis Paints COVID-19 Insurance Loss Big Picture: It’s a Wash or Historic Catastrophe

If the novel COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control soon, the disease’s impact on the insurance industry as a whole may be pretty much a wash. It not, the industry may be on the verge of an historic catastrophe. A …

What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI

If only 10 percent of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an analysis by the National …

Court Nixes $64M Award Against Fireman’s Fund in Reinsurance Spat with Utica Mutual

A federal appellate court on Tuesday overturned a jury’s award of $64 million against Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. for allegedly breaching the terms of a reinsurance agreement. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals found that Fireman’s Fund was not liable …

Coronavirus Business Interruption Insurance Claimants Seek to Consolidate Lawsuits

Two groups of plaintiffs — one in Philadelphia, the other in Chicago — are asking federal courts to consolidate lawsuits filed by businesses that are seeking coverage for business-interruption losses they claim are caused by coronavirus stay-home orders. Attorneys for …

States Easing Path to Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Coronavirus Workers

Sympathetic state lawmakers and regulators in states both red and blue promise to make COVID-19 a major cost driver for workers’ compensation insurers. The governors of Kentucky, Arkansas, North Dakota and Florida and state regulators in Illinois, Washington, Michigan and …

How Insurance Claims Pros Are Adjusting to Pandemic Complications

The coronavirus pandemic has not shut down the day-to-day business of adjusting claims, but the workload is lighter and claims managers are coping with evolving government regulations and guidelines. Crawford & Co. says it has added a new step to …